Tarot To The Rescue - Workplace Woes

Tarot To The Rescue is a recurring feature. I’ll be tackling different life issues and showing you how tarot can be a valuable tool to help you navigate through these challenges. As a long time tarot reader, I have used the cards myself to seek guidance, check my own inner compass and find direction through those sticky moments in life. If you’d like to see me handle a dilemma here, please email me at tarotlady@wi.rr.com with your suggestion. (Please note: I am not accepting requests for actual readings on this column. I am only tackling issues in a general format. Also, this column – and tarot – is not a substitute for legal, medical or psychiatric help.)

Office politics. The boss from hell. Water cooler gossip. Power trippers. The lech in the mailroom.

Face it, the workplace can be a hotbed of ick. Navigating drama and remaining a total pro is not an easy feat especially when the rat race seems filled with…well, rats. So what’s a good employee to do when things go from bad to worse?

First of all, center yourself. No matter what is going on, you need to be functioning from a grounded place so that you can make a wise decision (reactionary is rarely smart or effective). Emotionally charged often equals more drama vs. solutions.

Next, you’ll want to contemplate before you activate. Tarot can be used as a tool to look at the situation and glean insights that may help you to best understand how to approach any workplace dilemma.

Here’s a simple tarot spin to gain clarity when you’re ready to jump ship and tell that boss to take that job and shove it.

Shuffle your cards and focus on your workplace issue. Next, fan the cards out face down and choose one for each position:

Situation – what we need to know about the situation

Environment – it’s important to look at the environment in a job situation because you want to know if you are dealing with a supportive or problematic workspace as that can strongly influence the issue

Advice – advice to contemplate

Let’s use an example of the spread in action. Vera has been working for the same man for many years. He’s completely disorganized because he cannot manage his time. He takes on too many projects and rarely follows through on simple emails. This often leaves her having to deal with irate customers who take out their anger on her. She is paid well but the stress is getting to her.

Here are the cards we chose:

Situation: 9 of Wands – this indicates that Vera’s boss has left her in a vulnerable position. She’s been put in an unfair situation that often has her playing defense. Note how tense the figure in the card looks. This card shows that Vera feels unsupported and overwhelmed by the problems.

Environment: 8 of Swords – The 8 of Swords suggests that Vera is very restricted at this job. Her hands are tied and she is often left in the dark. This says to me that her environment is restrictive and her role is diminished, which may be part of the problem.

Advice: Page of Pentacles – Pages represent a new beginning but they can also represent messages about jobs and money. This says that Vera may want to open up a dialogue with her boss about expanding her role in the company. It may be time for her to take on more responsibilities which would take some of the pressure off of him. In addition to taking on more of the responsibilities, she may want to discuss compensation. This card can also be indicating that Vera consider other job offers in addition to having this conversation with her boss. She has skills and a strong record, which could help open up to other options.

I hope that you find this little spread helpful the next time you are dealing with workplace drama. I’d love to hear your results – please share them in the comment section below.

“Your career success in the workplace of today–independent of technical expertise–depends on the quality of your people skills.” ~ Max Messmer Jr.

Blessings!

Theresa

image from stock photography